SAN JOSE  After losing out in the John Tavares sweepstakes, general manager Doug Wilson locked down his own elite-caliber center for years to come.

Logan Couture signed an eight-year contract extension with the Sharks Sunday, joining Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Martin Jones on the list of players whove made longterm commitments to the franchise over the last couple of years. According to multiple reports, the deal is worth $64 million with an average-annual salary of $8 million, making Couture the highest-paid player on the Sharks roster alongside Burns, who signed an identical eight-year contract with the team in November 2016.

By re-upping with Couture through the 2026-27 season, the Sharks ensured that their roster will feature at least one top-level center well into the future.

Ive made up my mind that San Jose is the place I want to play hockey. We have a great chance to win, and obviously, thats my No. 1 goal, is to win a Stanley Cup, Couture said. It was an easy decision for me.

After battling injuries throughout much of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Couture emerged as the Sharks on-ice leader last season, leading the team in goals (34) and ranking third in points (61) while suiting up for 78 of the teams 82 games. Couture put together a stellar-offensive season while serving as the teams shutdown center, matching up against the likes of Connor McDavid, Anze Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf on a nightly basis.

His exploits didnt go unnoticed. In December, former-Sharks coach Todd McLellan said that Couture is driving the bus, in the teams dressing room, calling the 29-year old San Joses McDavid.

Couture believes he still has more to give.

Im going to work as hard as I can to become a better player, Couture said. Theres still so much to learn about the game  the games evolving.

The Sharks drafted Couture with the ninth-overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. Couture earned an invitation to the NHL All-Star Game in his second season after earning a Calder Trophy nomination as a rookie during the 2010-11 campaign, scoring 32 goals.

The two-way center made a name for himself on the national stage during the Sharks run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, leading the playoffs in scoring by becoming just the fourth player in a 20-year span to record 30 points or more in one postseason. The performance earned Couture an invitation to play for Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.

Couture missed 30 games that season with a pair of lower-body injuries, including a fractured-right fibula, which required screws and rods to repair. The alternate captain also suffered a major injury at the end of the 2016-17 season after taking a redirected Brent Burns shot to the mouth. The puck caused damage to all of Coutures teeth, forcing him to suit up for six games in the Stanley Cup playoffs that spring with his mouth held together by plastic and wiring.

The Sharks entered training camp last fall with high expectations for Couture, hoping that with a healthy season hed help the team absorb the loss of Patrick Marleau, who left San Jose to join the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer.

With a fresh bill of health, Couture delivered, putting together a career year and fueling the Sharks transition from the Marleau-Joe Thornton years into a new era.